Exodus: Sins and Redemption
by Disgraced Rose
Summary: The Shichintai fall on hard timesSephiroth Vanishes, his underlings run amok.with Bankotsu's chronic absence and Kimi's sudden disapearance, Cloud's war against Advent Children grows desperate, loyalties are called into question when vices and sins unfold
1. prelude: Ryuura's contempt

_**Darkness had spread. Ryuura Shifted uncomfortably as he drifted amongst the remains of his empire. Everything--his heiritage, his legacy-- had been destroyed. What remained of his dominion was cast into oblivion.**_

**_"Bankotsu," he snarled, his breath frosting against his cracked lip," Damn you."_**

_**Ryuura took a deep breath to calm himself, taking in the scent of lingering emotions and memories. Wrath, Pride, Greed, Jealousy...Lust and seduction. Ryuura thought his heart might burst apart with the rush of emotions he felt. Bankotsu had stood here. He had thrived here, suffered here and experienced heartache and pain unlike anything ever felt by the human soul.**_

**_Mist descended upon the land, he moved beyond the ruins of the Immanis. Mud sucked at his boots as the wind struck so bodly, it threatened to sweep him frm where he stood and yet, all of nature stilled as his screams of anger and hatred echoed over the waste of the castle. Nothing in this world, or anyworld for that matter, could ease the sorrow that threatened to overwhelm him. Only revenge consumed his thoughts._**

**_Bending down and reaching out his hand, his palm went flat against the barren earth. Ryuura closed his eyes, shifting through visions of chaos, malice, until finally, his hand delved deep into the ground, grasping something soft and rugged._**

**_For a long time, he stared at what he uncovered there. The satisfaction it rewarded him. It's softness had been made harsh and leathery by copper stains of blood, still, It felt so smooth between his fingers. He knew to whom it belonged but the scent didnt match. Almost like it was...spliced. In his hand, tattered and ripped, had been the navy and ivory silk of Bankotsu's kimono. _**

**_Tearing his claws over the fabric ripping it further, he held it up to his nostrils, absorbing the smell of it. It had spiked his lust like no other. Capturing loose fabric in his mouth he gnawed at it. Even his blood tasted differently...familiar._**

**_There was movement in the air, a swirling enveloped him as shadow obscured his vision._**

_Bankotsu took her hand into his, she sat down beside him, curling her legs beneath the folds of her gown. She laughed breathlessly as the wind filtered through her raven hair._

_"It's been a year and some odd days now. I'm getting worried." Bankotsu frowned as he stared downcast at her rounded stomach._

_"Koishii," she kissed him tenderly on the mouth," The baby's alive. I can feel it! See-", Kimiko set his hand upon her belly," can you not feel him kicking?"_

_"Him?" Bankotsu raised his brow._

_"It's a boy. I can feel it." She placed her hand over his." I know you can sense his power Bankotsu."_

_The babe pressed itself to the wall of her womb, as far as he could to Bankotsu's trembling palm, it's warmth penetrating through his mother's stomach._

_" He's saying hello." Kimiko smiled sweetly. _

_How could she be so happy? So calm. The baby had been concieved over a year ago! Bankotsu had grew anxious as Kimiko grew into the last months of her pregnancy but as it crept into the tenth month, he began to have his douts. Soon, the tenth month became eleven and then twelve...this was not a normal pregnancy but then again, neither kimiko or himself had been normal to start with._

_" I wish this kid would hurry up." Bankotsu muttered._

_At the sound of his father's contempt, the baby kicked._

_" He's mad at you." Kimiko grinned._

_"Well, I'm mad at him." Bankotsu stuck out his tongue._

_The baby kicked once more._

_"Hey, now, stop that. Mommy's tender in that area."_

_The baby ceased. How was it that he understood Kimiko so perfectly? The baby was alive, well and sure, but still..._

_" Kimi, he can understand us?"_

_" Of course Ban-san."_

_" How! He's not even..."_

_The baby twisted about. Bankotsu could feel his lover's body relax against his hand. What kind of baby would she give birth to? It was said that their love is one that would destroy them. Their union had been labled a blasphemy in itself. Now, here they are, about to bring a baby into the world--the same world that refused to let them be joined in union. Bankotsu wondered._

_"I cant believe im going to be a father. I'm not even twenty yet. I have so much to teach this kid, I dont even know where to begin." Bankotsu felt his son respond happily to his words. _

_" You have given me a wonderful son." Kimiko smiled and kissed him slowly, passionatly." I look forward to spending my life with you and Raikotsu."_

_**The vision subsided. Raikostu? So, the prophecy was coming true. Then the women is...**_

_**For the first time in decades, Ryuura felt a rush of happiness. He would meet with Bankotsu soon, and when they faced one another on the battle field, it would be Bankotsu who lost this time.**_

**_" I will not lose again. " Ryuura told himself. _**

_**Bankotsu, you will suffer dearly for the pain you have caused me, Ryuura thought, my power will be bestowed upon me once again, and you--(he chuckled)-- will rue the day Bakajikara ever bedded with that mortal wench you call your mother. **_

**_" The throne will be mine." It was so tangible now, he could almost taste it. " I shall annihilate everything you hold dear: your future, that women and your son."_**

_**Beware little brother. I am coming for you.**_


	2. Prologue:Dark Water

_**The lake water stilled. The music of the stars and the moon reverberated softly within the hills and the twilight. Kimiko waded softly through the water, the darkness clouded it clarity.**_

_I can no longer hide it. I can no longer conceal my being. Alas, i can no longer guarentee the safety of my boys._

**_She grimaced, feeling the bones ripple underneath her skin. The pain in her back had become almost unbearable during the nights where the moon shone its fullest overhead in the night._**

**_What could she stand to do now? Seven months had passed since she last heard from Sephiroth. It was well into winter and nothing she did seemed to spark rebellion from him.Nothing at all. Seven weeks ago, Vincent had came to her with news of her father's diminishing prowess. Could his influence of their destinies be breaking? One could only hope._**

**_As the wind spoke through the tress, Kimiko began to rise. Step for step until she touched to the surface. The water shifting beneath her feet. The time for the Reunion was drawing nearer. Time was running out and time was a luxury she couldnt afford_**

* * *

**_"Are you absolutely certain she came out this way?" Renkotsu cuffed his hand over his mouth as he gently blew sparks into his lantern, igniting the oil within it._**

**_"I'm positive." Suikotsu raised his lantern in an effort to purge the darkness of the forest. Although the light from the fire eased the night, nothing he did could ease the worry in his heart._**

**_Over the past several weeks, Kimiko islotated herself from the rest of her comrades. She even, to his dismay, drifted from the others. She often locked herself into her bedroom and days would pass before they'd see her again. Now she was wandering off and for what reasons, they intended to find out._**

**_"Suikotsu, Do you remember which direction she was heading?" Renkotsu asked._**

**_Suikotsu nodded," Just keep straight down this pass. They lead to the spring." Kimiko always had a connection to the water._**

**_"Kiko knows her scent. Maybe we should've brought him."_**

_**"No. Smells are distilled in water. Kiko's nose wouldn't do much good to us." Suikotsu turned to Renkotsu," Just follow me. The lake isnt much farther."**_

_**Suikotsu turned on his heels and down the pass. As they moved, Renkotsu began to notice she change in the air. The uneven movement of the wind as it twisted and swayed, seemingly coming from every direction. Beating against the hollows of the treetops, Renkotsu heard a faint...melody.**_

**_"Damn," Renkotsu yawned," I feel sleepy."_**

**_Suikotsu pushed on," It's just fatigue from the battle earlier. You'll survive."_**

**_Cold. Just like ice. Renkotsu noticed the tendrils of Suikotsu's hair stand in soft spikes. He must've transformed. It was so dark out here, the only clue that Suikotsu was still in front of him was the fading light of the lantern._**

**_"That would explain the attitude." He muttered to himself._**

**_"RENKOTSU!" Suikotsu whispered loudly, stopping to a halt,_****_" Up ahead."_**

**_Renkotsu yawned once more, and rubbed his eyes. He peered up ahead at the end of the pass. There was a faint light in the shape of a person. Could it be Kimiko? With all the strange happenings nowadays, he wouldn't be at all to surprised. Demonic awakenings, scandalous secrets and sexual escapades...as well as constant arguments for dominace. Its a wonder he hasnt been driven insane._**

**_"Is it her Suikotsu?"_**

**_"I'm not sure." He lingered for a moment," There's a crowd of bushes up ahead. We can hide there."_**

**_Renkotsu felt his arm being seized." Douse the lamps."_**

**_The fire that lit their was had vanished now. They were completely submerged in the thickness of the night. Even as Renkotsu felt himself being tugged relentlessly by his fourth in command, He felt the trying isolation perpetuated by the absence of light. It was utterly uncomfortable. Given enough time, it could leave a man crazed and deranged._**

**_By the time they reached the stand of bushes, the twilight had melted away into full-blown night. They lay underneath the stand of bushes, peering under the footing and into the clearing ahead._**

_**Sure enough, It was Kimiko.**_

_Suikotsu's P.O.V_

_I scratched my nails against the earth. plucking stray grass and raking it with my hands. My god... Everything i had witness this past year--the attack on Kimiko by myself, Her attack on us, The fight between her and Jakostu, The seperation and--I shuddered-- that man who we've came to known as her father._

_I will never forget that day as long as i draw breath. Even long after my departure to the afterlife and my bones turn to dust. I will never forget his face. Only me and kimiko were ever able to see him, but that day in that Hell dimension_

_He appeared in a flash of lightning. Stalking over a vast expanse of dull, black, ocean. __The Clouds that meshed above them shadowed his pale, luminous skin. _

_The only thing that stood out was his eyes. Those brilliant, emerald eyes sunk deep into his skull; behind them, somethin shadowed. Something of supreme horror and malice. I didnt realize it truly, but i was seeing into the face of death._

_"Run." Bankotsu tried his best to pry Kimiko from where she stood but it was useless effort._

_"That's her father!" Bankotsu demanded to know. His voice erupting in a sort of Panic._

_"Uh-huh.Powerful bastard too." I had told him. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck._

_In one long, metallic swish, He had unsheathed a sword, carved of the purest metal i ever laid eyes on. It was at least 7 feet in length. This sword was vibrant with the flames of hell.__ One weapon that screamed of bloody murder. The blade itself bore hallucinations of blood and gore derived from past victims. _

_In a roar of thunder and a flash of lightning, he had vanished from the spot. How he managed to get passed me, to this day, I never knew. __And I will never forget Kimiko's pain. The way she bawled, it wrench at my soul and ate away at me. The bloodcurdling yelp gave me nightmares for weeks._

**_"Suikotsu, Are you alright?" Renkotsu asked, his voice toneless." You're pale."_**

**_Using his sleeve, Suikotsu sponged the sweat of his forehead," I'm fine."_**

**_Even exasperated, his voice filled with reassurance. Renkotsu clenched his fist and nudged Suikotsu in the side," Calm down and look."_**

**_Suikotsu frowned. He hadnt freaked out no where near as badly. _**

_**Following Renkotsu, his eye trailed over to the water. By god! the water was black. Just like-**_

_Stalking over a vast expanse of dull, black, ocean. __The Clouds that meshed above them shadowed his pale, luminous skin_

_**Suikotsu paled, feeling the bile rise in his throat. " Oh god." He was gonna be sick.**_

**_" My god!" Renkotsu gasped suddenly, keeping his voice hushed. Suikotsu looked up. Blood flowing back into his pale cheeks._**

**_Kimiko's hand drifted to the crimson sash given to her by Bankotsu. She unbound her hair and it flowed loose about her shoulders and down around her front. _**

**_She had slid her robe down over shoulders, the fabric rounded at her lower back, sliding down no further. What on earth was she doing? _**

**_The moon's spotlight highlighted the natural glow of her skin. Kimiko began to dance. Her hand conducting the currents and flow of the water in which she was derived._**

**_The water lifted, twirled, pushed and pulled in rhythm with her hands and they flowed in fluid movements of grace. The skin on her back convulsed in a single line and began to rise, the skin pulling apart from either side as something dark stemed from her shoulder blades._**

**_The wind bowled through violently as the water crashed onto the banks, coming within dangerous distance of Renkotsu and Suikotsu._**

**_Feathers swept across the water, their eyes widened in shock as wings sprouted into the air. Dyed the color of the lake, each one stretched in length twice the height of their Leader._**

**_So this was it. Surely enough, They had seen this before but now she could summon them by will? What was she? Who was she?_**

**_And more importantly, What did this mean for them? They all put their lives on the line just to keep her with them and they dont even know who she truly is. Is she still their Kimiko? or is she someone else._**

_**Without thinking, Suikotsu yelled in shocked, venting his frustration and anger.**_

_**Kimiko whipped around, her wings trailing the surface of the lake. **What was this? Suikotsu?** Renkotsu rose up beside him, both staring with vacant expressions. **_

**_"Oh god..." She cried out._**

**_Black wings scattered to a thousand pieces. Kimiko lost her footing and was plunged into watery depths. Renkotsu had barely screamed her name before Suikotsu bolted out from their hiding place and dived into the lake after her._**

**_"ANIKI!" Renkotsu yelled as he took off down the pass and back to the Inn where the others were mid-way into their Dinner. _**


	3. Violated

_**"Dammit Kimiko, you are going to answer me!" Bankotsu yelled after her as she stormed down the hall and disapeared around the corridor. IDIOT! Why is it that everytime he tries to talk t her, it comes out in harsh words.**_

**_"Damn Aniki," a playful laughter. A loving voice said gently behind him, " You sure have a way with women. Is it me or have you lost your touch?"_**

**_"Not Now Jakostu." Bankotsu said as he turned to his best friend and third in command. Ever since Suikotsu and Renkotsu stumbled upon her at the Lake, He'd wondered what she was up to. Kimiko kept far to much to herself nowadays and scarcly included the others. If she was going to continue to be a member of The Shichinintai, she has to start letting people in._**

**_"You cant expect her to tell you everything anymore." Jakotsu replied. It was then that Bankotsu realized he's said that last part out loud._**

**_" I'm starting to think things were better off when you hated her." Bankotsu said, bemused. There was a time when Jakostu had such a virulent attitude towards Kimiko. They fought constantly and it was often tiring just to watch. Now her and Jakostu were inseperable...save for the past few weeks._**

**_" I want things to be the same between us." Bankotsu rested against the chestnut wall of the corridor. As much as he wanted them to be best friends again, he knew that was just a far off dream now. One of which he was searching for the scattered pieces._**

**_"Well, you know as well as i do that its not going to happen. You two didnt exactly end on a HAPPY note, now did you?"_**

**_Although he hated to say it, Jakotsu was right. The break-up had resulted in the almost destruction of the shichinintai._**

_Tears released themselves. The music of her soul calling to his was stronger than ever."You know I love you? right?"he said hoarsely. How could he obliterate it?_

_" Yes. And I love you." She said as she wiped her eyes as Bankotsu's hand drifted over her swollen stomach. It felt soft against his hand._

_Kimiko held his gaze," Why are you asking me?"_

_His sapphire blue eyes darkened. He could no longer bear to stare at her. It was him who promised to never make her cry._

_"Because..."The smile faded from Bankotsu's face.He never wanted to be the reason she cried."I-I...can't be with you Anymore." _

_**Bankotsu sighed Heavily. He did what was needed to save the Shichinintai. And yet it almost tore them apart anyway. Kimiko had--he latered discoverd-- miscarried, losing the baby they had conceived. It ate away at her and he as well.**_

_**The three months they went without Kimiko were the longest in his life. Not a day went by that he didnt think of her, wondering if she thought of him with the same passion as she'd always have. Wondering if she wished him to burn in hell. **_

_**It was usually the latter.

* * *

**_

_**From Behind barriers of worlds, Ryuura watched. focusing on his astral sense, he was able to sense Bankotsu without fail. His Aura was very much like their Fathers; Malevolent and to the brim with animosity. Only, Bankotsu was diffrent. He had a sort of Naiivette about him that Ryuura found utterly amusing.**_

_He never understands me. Why cant he just leave me to my own._

_**What's this? Ryuura perked up, his lips curling in satisfaction. This emotion had spiked his lust, just as before. Relying on his powers to sort through the sound of music, time passing slowly by and the inevitable chaos that threatened to envelop human life, he found it.**_

_**A aura that Radiated outward, drawing in all that come in contact with it. like a planet and its orbit. A aura that ripened with passion but spiced with death all the same. It was seductive.**_

_**Riveting his eyes, he focused on the spot. It was a Women. It Must've been Bankotsu's women. Although an entirely diffrent scent, her matched Bankotsu. Like a couple who've bedded.**_

_**Ryuura looked closely, beyond the borders of Immanis and earth. **_

_**She was...enchanting. And yet so familiar...**_

_**Unbound, her hair fell long in soft waves down her back over her beautiful skin. The deep, vastness of her eyes could entrance anyone--mortal, immortal-- and she had a grace about her...**_

_**"Lucrecia!" He gasped. No...the eyes are diffrent. The Aura resembled that of lucrecia but her eyes, her being was that of someone else.**_

_**The women stepped into a room, slaming the door shut behind her. In one swift stride, she'd fell onto her bed, tears streaming from her eyes.**_

_**As she cried, her aura spiraled, a exotic insignia burned into her forehead-- three arcs locked into a innder circle-- the triquetrous.**_

_**THE PROPHECY LIVES! She must be Sephiroth's...My Damn... Then Armegeddon is immenent. What a prime time for His return. Yet, Where was Vincent? and Cloud? Where was Yoko and the others?**_

_**Sephiroth must be plotting against Bakajikara... Well then, it wouldnt hurt for him to add some flavor to it then would it?**_

_**" I will take her thn and destroy the ties that bound her." There would be no time to watse. The prophecy is well into effect and the sooner Ryuura acted, the Better. Bankotsu will be putty in my hands.

* * *

**_

_**It was well into the night. Bankotsu laid awake watching Jakotsu breathing beside him. How Jakotsu managed to stay alseep these frigid winter nights were beyond them. Which made him wonder why Kimiko would be out at a lake of all things? Its a wonder the lake hasnt frozen over. Although they were in the southern region, it didnt prevent the snow from falling. They'd been stranded at the Sunoko Inn for almost two weeks now. If the snow didnt let up soon, they'd be in real trouble.**_

_**His heart lurched and Bankotsu felt the blood rush to his cheeks. It was nights like these that Kimiko would sneak into his room and cuddle up beside him in bed. Although they never went back to sleep. They stayed up the remainder of the night, reminscing and speaking of the future and how she never wanted to be without him.**_

_**Bankotsu sighed to himself, "So much has changed in only one year." Yet, his feelings for her never did.

* * *

**_

_**Kimiko Leaned against the Balcony high above the courtyard. The Ocarina given to her by Tamahome nestled slightly in the palm of her hand. **Oh, Tamamhome...How i miss you. Chuei, Shunkei, Gyokuran and Yuiren too. **It's been Almost a decade. Everyone in her life just seemed to disapear from her. Tamahome...Inuyasha...and--to her dismay-- Bankotsu and the Shichinintai too. Would she be alone for the rest of her life? As long as her father was around, there was nothing she could do.**_

_**Pressing her lips against the mouth, she began to play the ocarina. Such a soothing nocturnal melody gave a etheral presence to her stature. Her aura was vibrant with it.**_

_**Every few seconds, she would stop playing to open her mouth and sing. **_

_You were the first dragon  
My beloved  
I've been watching you  
From atop the fairy stump_

_How beautifully did the water touch those lips_

_**Jakotsu stirred, only to fall back alseep. Bankotsu laid back, covering his eyes with his hands. Again. She sings again? That song, the lullaby for her baby brother...she must be thinking of him again.**_

_How you shone at the spearhead of battle_

_La la la la la la la la la...  
Because you flew away  
The sky is unseen to me_

_Let's just sell this spinning-wheel_

_**She held fast to that last note, " **So everything will be illusion, My beloved, You were the first dragon"** And Bankotsu was her first, true love. **_

_**There was nothing she could do nowadays. Its like she was frozen in this life with no way out. These feeling haunted her restlessly. How can you love someone so bad, but deny your love for them? I do it for his sake, and for my boys. **_

_**"Bankotsu...If my father only knew, the depth that i would go for you..." She muttered to herself. **_

_**Wetting the tip of her fingers, she doused the flame of her lantern. the ligering smoke spiraling upward in rifts as she turned into her room to go to bed. Hoping things would be a little better in the morning.

* * *

**_

_**This power struck Vincent Abruptly. So much, that he was thrown off his balance and crashed onto the Grand Chambers marble floor. Sephiroth straightened up, his back going rigid against his throne. Apparently, he felt it too, but not as devastating as Vincent.**_

_**Vincent picked himself up off of the floor, wiping away the blood that had frothed from his mouth. This power...it was so strong... **_

_**"Whose?" Vincent Demanded to know.**_

_**Sephiroth Tented his fingers, his eye narrowed straight ahead, looking past Vincent. For several moments he sat still, entranced.**_

_**Finally, he said " Bakajikara walks."**_

_**The room stilled. A deathly chill filled the air and no one spoke. Leviathan uncurled itself from around a pillar a few paces away from the throne.**_

_**" Bakajikara?" he hissed.**_

_**Sephiroth said nothing. Vincent held his stomach, a sickness swelled up within him. Could It be the actual Bakajikara? If so, How could he have escaped? He was banished to Immanis over ten millinia ago. How could he be back?**_

_**"Are you sure sire?" Leviathan mused, " What of his Son...umm..."**_

_**"His name is Bankotsu." Came a vindictive icy tone of a females voice.**_

_**"Caelestis, Why are you here?" Vincent raised a brow to her. That was a idiotic question. Wherever there was mention of Bankotsu, Caelestis was there. As her power wanes, her obsession of him grows. I fear what will happen when her Soul and Kimiko's soul coalesce into one once more, he thought to himself.**_

_**"Father," She completely ignored Vincent, " I know this power. I've...experienced it before."**_

_**Vincent scoffed. Yeah, she's experienced it before. Just like any other thing she's experieced was betwixt her thighs.**_

_**Caelestis stared coldly at him. **That also goes for you. Even still, you were just somthing to occupy my time and keep from interfering with my father's work._

_**Vincent rolled his eyes. How long must he wait for the day when he would wring his palms around her throat. That say was much to far away.**_

_**"Well then child, i suggest you speak of what it is you know." Sephiroth beckoned her closer to him.**_

_**"Father, This power I sense is that of a god."**_

_**"Do tell..."**_

_**" Yes, " she continued on," Bakajikara Bore another son--and elder son. Ryuura, the Dragon God of war."**_

_**"Ah..." Fire lit his eyes. How could he have forgotten this? This news...it was absolutely delicious. Bakajikara's oldest son...Ryuura. He was legendary. Banished along with his father, Both went on a apocolyptic rampage throughout numerous worlds before Koenma had sentenced them both to Immanis. How Ryuura managed to escape is a mystery. If Sephiroth were to find out the secret, he could regain his body and be freed from this world. **_

_**Before he could take action, he needed his daughter by his side with Bankotsu bound to hers.**_

_**"I have not dout in my mind that he seeks to disrupt the prophecy." Sephiroth coaxed," but this could prove useful to me. I'll let him do what he feels he must. Let's wait and see what he plans to do. Until then...Caelestis!"**_

_**She jumped at the hard mention of her name, " Yes father?"**_

_**Sephiroth grinned, his voice was tense, " Cloud has been waltzing about undetected for quite some time and we cant have that. Whatever magic he's using, I'm unable to sense. I need you to awaken your brothers to keep Cloud at bay. He'll intervene soon enough."**_

_**Brothers? Dear God, There was more of them. Vincent turned on his heel to hurry from the room, but this was an action sephiroth was unwilling to let him make.**_

_**" Vincent...I have a special task just for you." The tone in his voice, was calm yet terrifying. Vincent shifted, feeling intimidated.**_

_**Bankotsu...Kimiko. What was going to happen to the both of them?

* * *

**_

_**Ryuura, hidden in the shadows of a dark corner in Kimiko's room, watched her as she laid sound asleep. Strange, he thought, how Bankotsu leaves her in bed alone on such cold nights. Judging by the mark on her forehead, she's reached the Second stage of Exodus. That means, Sephiroth must have already bound Bankotsu to her.**_

_**"Well..." He whispered to himself, " I'm going to break that."**_

_**Ryuura edge along the wall of the room, crossing from the balcony doorway and next to the spartan bed. She slept so soundly, he breathing so gentle like a caress...she was even more beautiful asleep. What could she be dreaming about? Bankotsu no dout.**_

_**His eyes skimed over her, fixing on her thighs. Gently, he touched the naked spot on his forehead where his jewel once merged with his skin. Bankotsu...i will get it back, he thought.**_

_**Ryuura scanned the room with his scarlet eyes. With one swift movement of his hand, the lock slid in closed on the door. **_

_**Now, as he bend over to stroke her face, She will be mine.

* * *

**_

_**Ryuura smiled as her aura pulsed lively. She had such a lovely face. He could scarely believe that Bankotsu was able to satisfy her. Ryuura slowly kissed her on the mouth as he lifted her nightgown about her waist. She moaned into his kiss.**_

_**Her scent, it excited him. But he couldnt risk Bankotsu's interferance. A liquid rose in his throat. He could feed her the dragon venom...paralyze her temporarily. That way, he wouldnt be caught.**_

_**"Bankotsu..." She moaned. Her eyes fluttered open.**_

_**What she saw, sure as hell was not Bankotsu. He looked like Bankotsu but it was all wrong. She pushed her fists outward in a effort to push him off of her but he wouldnt budge.**_

_**" BAN-" She opened her mouth to scream. The man cradled her head and pressed his lips to hers. She felt a thick liquid trickle down her throat and warm her belly. **_

_**No, what is this? She watched helplessly as his fingertips drifted toward he thighs. Tears flooding helplessly from her eyes. This cant be happening...this cant! Oh, BANKOTSU PLEASE! HELP ME! **_

_**But as much as she wanted him to burst through that door, he didnt.**_

_**

* * *

**__BANKOTSU! _

_**Someone screamed his voice inside his mind, over and over again. A crying, a pleading. **_

_**"DAMN IT ALL! " Bankotsu bolted upright, throwing his pillow into the wall. " What is that? "**_

_**Jakostu Stirred." Ban-chan?" He said groggily.**_

_**"Damn." Bankotsu mutter. His heart racing inside his chest. What wa this emotion. That feeling that he was needed. " I feel...i dunno. My heart's aching." This emotion, like somethin inside him was dying.**_

_**" It's probably the guilt from earlier. Go back to sleep. Maybe Kimiko will talk to you in the morning."**_

_**"Kimi--"**_

_BANKOTSU! _

_**The voice moaned out in pain, screaming agony and distraught. THATS IT!**_

_**" OH FUCK! " Bankotsu jumped out of bed and kicked down the door, slipping into the wall oposite the door and sped down the corridor. Jakotsu, wondering what was the matter, hurried after him, banging loudly on the rooms of their comrades.**_

_Bankotsu P.O.V_

_FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! _

_How could i have not sensed it before! Kimiko, what could have happen! _

_Cut off by an agonized pain, i clutched my hand to my heart. She must be damn near dead to be in this much pain._

_I could hear my friends screaming behind me in the distance, Suikotsu and Jakotsu had managed to catch up with me._

_**" Bankotsu-kun, whats the matter?" Suikotsu asked, a look of worry on his face. **_

_**" It's kimiko! She's in trouble."**_

_**" What kind of trouble Ban-chan?" Jakotsu almost slipped turning the corner of the corridor with Bankotsu and Suikotsu.**_

_**" BIG TROUBLE!" Kimiko's room came into veiw. Bankotsu sped up, " GET BACK!" **_

_**He collided into the door with such force, it toppled over. Sliding into the floor of her room, he stood up.**_

_**" KIMIKO! I--"**_

_**Bankotsu paled, as all the blood rushed from his face. Nothing could've prepared him for the horror he saw. Kimiko's mouth jerked open in a strangled cry of agony as she laid there, crying. The glow had faded from her skin. The life had dispersed from her eyes...she didnt move. Blood pooling between her legs as some man laid ontop of her...**_

_**Bankotsu thoughts trailed off, He fell to his knees. He heard the others call out to him ,but he...in a state of shock.**_

_**The man turned around, blood stained his lips as his eyes glowed with the sick satisfaction of what he'd done.**_

_**Bankotsu World shattered. The women he loved had been Violated...by someone who looks exactly like him.**_

_**"K-K-K..." He couldnt even say her name.**_

_**She closed her eyes and shook her head. The man kept on, refusing to stop. Where were the others? Where they even there?**_

_**Blood bubbled from her lips. Ryuura had succeeded. She had been broken and thus, so had Bankotsu. In the darkened corner of his mind, Ryuura laughed triumphantly.**_

_**Ryuura started to laugh, on the brink of climax when suddenly a light around kimiko darkened. Her eyes downcast in shadow. **_

_**The temperature in the room dropped fast. The glass on the window frosted over. Ryuura moved from on top of her. Bankotsu eyes' had changed.**_

_**" How dare you..." Bankotsu said so low, it was almost inaudiable. " She did nothing to you."**_

**_" All is fair in love and war, Little Brother. " Ryuura grinned, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. " You destroyed what was mind and i will destroy what is yours."_**

_**The Shichinintai ran into the room. **_

_**" BANKOTSU! " Jakotsu dropped down to his knees next to his best friend.**_

_**Renkotsu gasped. Followed by a series of gasp from the others**_

_**" Kimiko!" Suikotsu flushed. Kimiko, his precious...no, this cant be happening! He clutched his hands to his skull, green streaks appearing onto his face. " No...no..NO!" He shrieked out in anguish.**_

_**" My my, so much fuss over this--" Ryuura seized her by the arm and dragged her onto the floor, " Little wench!"**_

_**" BASTARD!" Jakotsu jumped to his feet, readying an attack with the rest.**_

_**" DONT! " Ryuura warned. " I could easily kill her if i wanted. You'd be best to stand your ground or else--" he reached onto his back with his free hand, grasping the golden handle of a broadsword and holding it up to her neck, " She might have a little accident."**_

_**" BANKOTSU! DO SOMETHING!" Jakotsu cried out, shaking bankotsu furiously but Bankotsu didnt respond. His eyes were dull and lifeless..." What did you DO!" Jakotsu demanded. How could he! To their friend, their sister!**_

_**" Bankotsu stole somthing from me so i evened the score. " He pressed Kimiko's half-naked body against his as much as he would allow, " You see this girl? She is not what you all seem to think! Her, nor my brother!"**_

_**" BROTHER!" Eyes shifted to Bankotsu.**_

_**Brother? It couldnt be! In all the year Jakotsu had known him, Bankotsu had been an only child. Unless...**_

_**"You two share the same father." Jakotsu answered, his eyes burning through into Ryuura.**_

_**" Correct. I guess not all of you are as retarded as you let on. You see, " He licked the side of Kimiko's face. She grimaced as she cried out silently, " This girl is Sephiroth's Legacy. She and my Brother are not human. He, half hell-god. This girl, Her father weilds the power of heaven and hell, life and death. Their union will bring about destruction. " **_

_**Ryuura said no more. At the sound of Kimiko's cry, a large wolf, almost as big as Kimiko herself, seized Ryuura by the wrist, tearing the skin and breaking the bone. **_

_**"Damn!" he cursed, Kimiko fell from his grasp and onto the back of the wolf as it carried her over to the arms of Suikotsu. " Wretched beast!"**_

_**" Good boy Kiko." Suikotsu scooped Kimiko into his arms. **_

_**A savage growl rumbled deep in kiko's throat as his blood-stained muzzle drew back in a snarl.**_

_**Ryuura held his wrist, muttering a chant to mend his wound. Damn them. He would not be made a fool of.**_

_**The temperature rose and the ice melted away. Fire engulfed all exits to the room. Ryuura unsheathed his other broadsword, " I will see to it that Fuujinga and Raijinga have an excellent sacrifice."**_

_**"Bankotsu!" Jakotsu shook him once again, " Snap out of it! We need you!"**_

_**Bankotsu blinked the tears from his eyes and he watched his lover cry. The sight was unbearable. She had been hurt because of him. She had always suffered because of him. Everyday he watched her escape further from his grasp and that cut deep. No more. **_

_**No more.**_

_**Bankotsu, finding the strength, had gotten to his feet. His heavy, limping body stood strong and vital. His friend, watching amazed, huddled closely together, Destruction was immenent, they knew that now.**_

_**Bankotsu's hair had loosed from the braid. The veins pulsing lively on his arm muscles and chest. He took a step forward. The floor erupted into dust as the walls desintegrated around them. They were outside and yet, somthing wasnt right. The forests were barren, the earth had been scorched. Buidlings were dilapidated, civilizations had toppled, water had dried. The sky dawn a fierce orange and crimson as the wind howled around them.**_

_**They were no longer on earth. The earth they knew was gone. They were in hell.**_

_**" So what Ryuura, " His fangs lengthened, " I destroyed your damned empire. " Dark light surged around his figure. His body now heavily tattooed in black streaks and dark blue symbols. " It belonged to me anyway." he rasped.**_

_**His voice! It changed! Everything! from his body to his personality! **Bankotsu, what was happening to you**, thought jakotsu.**_

_**The Shichinintai could feel their hearts give way. The gravity was crushing, Suikotsu held Kimiko close to him in an effort to sheild her. Was this what Ryuura meant, Their union brings destruction?**_

_**Bankotsu stepped forward, walking on the air, his foot being imprinted in the dirt but never touching the ground. A jagged movement, a turbulence in the air. Bankotsu held open his palm, Banryuu materialized within it.**_

_**Ryuura just sneered, biting back a smart remark. So, this was the power to end all power? It made him wonder what would happen when That girl's power awakens. Readying Fuujinga and Raijinga, Ryuura Charged at his brother.**_

_**A one, multi-flashed moment, Bankotsu was behind Ryuura, Brandishing Banryuu high above his head. The halberd came crashing down, slicing Ryuura comepletely in half. The impact was devastating, debri scattered everywhere as smoke clouded the field.**_

_**Ryuura fell. **This power...I didnt even see him. He was too fast for even myself. The prophecy truly lives! **Ryuura's body disolved into sand, his remaining words were:**_

_**" I have not gone. As long as You remain encased by your mortality, you cannot kill me. I will return."**_

_**Ryuura was gone.**_

_**Jakotsu looked up. They were outside the Inn. Everything was back to normal. The grass was green, the forests were naked in the midst of winter...life had raged on like nothing happened. Was it all just and illusion? What happened to kimiko--as much as they wished it-- was not. Ryuura was truly here and he really had--**_

_**Jakotsu had to stop himself. He still couldnt believe. " kimi-chan." He cried.**_

_**Suikotsu laid Kimiko onto the cool, damp grass. " I need my medical kit. NOW! And get her a blanket, we have to get her inside." he ordered. Renkotsu, accompanied by Ginkotsu, hurried inside for the materials.**_

_**Everyone scrambled around. Bankotsu stood some ten feet away. What had just happened to him, was the farthest thing from his mind. All he wanted, was her. Everyone else seemed to have faded.**_

_**Closing the space between them, Bankotsu laid down next to her. No other women had ever made him feel this way and no he had failed her. He could feel his very sould tear itself apart as he leaned his body over hers, stroking her gently on her face. She stared at him, her eyes bloodshot., her face tired and weary. She was no longer her playful self. She had been violated.**_

_**" Ah," He whispered, Tears filling his eyes, " Kimiko what have i done to you?" That single quiet moment above all the chaos was all he needed. " I am...so sorry."**_

_**She cried even harder. remembering the last words exchanged between them. She had said such horrid things, arguing bitterly and calling Bankotsu names. **_

_**For the first time in months, she said with a trembling voice, " I love you...so much. I swore i would never give myself to anyone other than you. " her hands twitched as she reached out to hold his handsome face in her hands, " I am so sorry i betrayed that vow..."**_

_**Jakotsu started to cry now. It wasnt her fault. It wasnt niether of their fault. Why should her feelings have had to come out like this? Jakotsu cupped his hands to his eyes and cried. **_

_**Bankotsu held her in a tight embrace, she buried her head into his chest as she cried and cried. The pain was unbearable. She had been shot at, whipped, beaten...every physical pain, she could endure but this...was killing her softly. **_

_**" I love you and only you. It has always been you." she wheezed, " And it will never be anyone else."**_

_**"I love you too." He kissed her forehead. " I love you too."**_

_**She bawled as Bankotsu nuzzled black tresses as his tears melted into her hair. " I'm sorry!" he should've came sooner, he should've never left her. " I am sorry. I am so...so-orry" His voice was breaking as he cried along with them.**_

**_The word " I'm sorry," Never sounded so pointless._**


	4. Dawn of Souls: New Beginning

_"Taken aback by malicious corruption, there is no greater sin than the destruction of innocence..." an aesthetic hand traced along the thick calligraphy etched into the parchment made elligible by candle-light," There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so..." __The hand traced further along the parchment, " The final testament of the thirteenth order."_

_Darkness clung heavily to the air; like a miasmic fog, it descended upon the empire and has yet to have lifted. _

_Kaosu, Viscount of the Lufenian empire, set the candle in a slot on the candlelabra, wax rolling down and dripping onto the marble floor and the train of his cerimonial robe, his handsome face shadowed by the hood of his sangoire cloak._

_For eons, the empire slept...it's inhabitants had fallen quite suddenly, as if struck by an unknown plague. The people of Lufenia were a solemn race, quietly awaiting for the arrival of their Savior. The one who attempted--and almost succeeded-- to rewrite history. _

_Kaosu rolled up the parchment, setting it on the shelf among several of Lufenia's historical doctrines. Piles upon stacks of torn and tattered texts lay scattered in layers of lop-sided paper. (A particularly adorned doctrine was kept safely in a gilded box set off to the side of the mahongany table) The fire-light only illuminated specs of the the chamber floor and tapestrated wall. Staring up, he noted the s__ilhouette of the chart depicting the royal lineage hung erect on the wall above him._

_Suddenly, sadness overwhelmed him. Eons crept slowly by...carefully he guarded the key to creations final judgement. At the advent of the dark ages, the emperor of the afterlife, Koenma, had created a creature from the souls of the blasphemic, the flesh of the damned, the bones of the eternally tortured and finally...the will of both heaven and hell. It's purpose was to combat the corrupted mentality of the supreme one; however, it backfired. The creature was sealed away and the supreme one's soul was torn from his corporeal self, while the body forever lie imprisoned in crystalized mako._

_When will the supreme one arise once more to continue his reign?_

_The viscount wept openly, knowing no one would come to his side. "Lord Sephiroth", he pleaded in silence," The time for revolution is at hand...the prophecy is slowly unfolding..." most inportantly, the beast was beggining it's awakening. As the galaxies aligned, the seperate worlds became connected. A cosmic war was imminent, looming over the horizon like a mountain looms over foothills._

_When the sun sets on the day of judgement, Bakajikara will be set free and the universe will quietly be destroyed. _

_-1-_

Cloud skulked beneath the bulk of branches of a giant oak, peering into the bedroom of the Roshi Inn. A woman lay broken across the pallet of comforters spread over the tatami. A rather large, silver-furred wolf curled up at her side, laying his head on his front legs, nuzzling the woman's raven hair in an almost protective way. Cloud could see the distraught, even contemplative expression on the wolf's face despite the distance between them.

Cloud felt empathy for the creature, for the expression was the same of his own. Except, it pierced his pride, uncovering well hidden shame. Shame, for he failed to protect the one tht mattered most.

The wind howled, a distant sound caught their ears. Staring to the north, they anxiously awaited for the next chapter to unfold.

_It traveled in a whirlwind, tracking the scent of their missing leader. The clan had fallen into ruin since the death of their elder, Seiren. Seiren disapeared several years ago while carrying a successor within her womb. Days later, her body was found gutted and mutilated...but her offspring's wearabouts were unknown. He was thought to be dead. It wasnt until recently, that his scent was rediscovered. It was in tht instant, that the young upstart of the clan was sent to retrieve the leader, Genro._

_Genro knew this day would arrive. Torn between a crucial decision; which is the most important? Leading his clan to supremacy, or the welfare of a female he thought of as his mother? Carefully, he mulled this over as she slept, now resting his head upon her breasts. _

_-2-_

"It's days like this I find the most tedious...", Renkotsu sighed, a copy of The Bamboo Cutter sandwhiched between his hands. It had rained the entirety of the day. Finally, when twilight set, the rain had ceased. It seemed to rain more often these days. The rain seemed to suit the mood of those days perfectly-- extremely depressing and melancholic.

" What happened to those days where all we had to worry about was who we would kill next?" Jakostu say up from beneath the table, meeting the gaze of the other 5 members of the Shichinintai. Their leader ultimately absent. " Is it me, or have things taken a turn for the worse for the Shichinintai?"

Jakotsu couldnt have been more right. Bankotsu spent the majority of his time away from his family. Where he spent it, was a mystery yet to have been solved. In the 3wks since Kimiko's rape, they've seen their leader come and go haphazardly only 3 times. He's up early and comes back into the Inn incredibly late.

" We need to consider about temporary jobs. We're running out of money to rent out this place." Jakotsu said.

Renkotsu grunted," I guess i have to be leader temporarily." this was something he dreaded. It was true, he had the neccessary intellect to lead the shichinintai, but not the strength. Not like Bankotsu. Bankotsu was far more suited for the job than he.

Jakotsu drifted off subject for a moment, " I wonder...how will we recover from this?"

A silence settled over the band.

Suikotsu spoke up, " We've given her medicinal herbs and Mukotsu had mixed her special potions to aid in her recovery...we can heal her physical injuried but...we cant erase what she's endured."

"Then wht can we do, Suikotsu?" Asked Renkotsu

"It's not our decision..." Suikotsu lifted up his head, a look of failure printed across his face, "it's Bankotsu's."

-3-

Bankotsu walked along the highroad leading home, his eyes wandering to the transparent sky. His heart ached with every thump and throb. With Kimiko's sorrow, he slowly felt pieces of his soul being ripped away. He no longer heard the genlt lilt of her voice as she sang, for she sang no longer. Nor did she smile, or even faced her fellow assassins. She remained motionless. Suikotsu, with Jakotsu's assisstance, washed her daily; They knew she lived, but gave no response otherwise.

Bankotsu lowered his head, anger rising and fallin inside his chest, unaware that he was being watched by a **Reflection**

Return 


	5. Will the pain away

Lyrics:" Whisper " By evanescence.

Authors note: Sorry the last story segment was only 3 chappies! I told myself not to do tht but...i had to be stubborn and do a do-over and i apologize to my readers b/c ya'll are so patient with me! Thanks for your support and thanks for your review!! I'm almost done with Book one, so Inuyasha and Kagome will be gettin introduced soon!!! Until then...LOVE AND PEACE!!! LOL!

* * *

_Rape...Malice...Violation_

**_Kimiko clutched her fist against the pallet of lop-sided quilt which she laid upon, feeling the hardwood floow beneath it; she shivered, the vibrations of the floor signaled to her the return of one of her comrades to try in feeble attempts to sooth her, heal her and whisper sweet enchantments and fabrications of sorrow. Her loins ached unbearably, she felt as if she had been robbed of that which was most sacred to her: her womanhood._**

**_...and by none other...than her lover's wicked brother._**

_**A women born of ill-fate and a cursed heritage is what she was. Parentless, alone and weak.** I am damned...i am nothing..._

**_The door slid open, a single lantern was lit and the door shut slowly, creaking. It was nearing midnight, all her comrades had fallen alseep, so who...?_**

**_A thrilling terror licked at her chest; she thought she would scream. The shifting of Kiko's fur as it swayed against the curve of her back gave her comfort. Kiko stirred, but remained silent. She knew the visitor was friend, not foe._**

**_Someone knelt down on the floor, setting the lantern inches away from her face. The glow burned her eyes, for she had adapted to the darkness her comrades had granted her._**

**_Kiko slid from beside her, she shivered from a draft where her guardian once lain; a hand caressed her face with bankotsu's gentleness. It brought tears to her eyes._**

**_"Bankotsu..." the pain she felt between her thighs increased, causing her to cry out in soft agony. She was falling in hell..._**

_Catch me as i fall  
say you're here and it's all over now_

**_The face that the light illuminated was not Bankotsu's._**

_speaking to the atmosphere  
no one's here and i fall into myself  
this truth drives me into madness_

**_The final shard of her soul was stripped away. A prelude to the pain and suffering whom waited for her since the day of her cursed birth._**

_i know i can stop the pain if i will it all away_

**_Kiko sat upright, staring coldly at the figure; a man. Kiko's lips curled back in a snarl, " How dare you!" the voice was seductive,a sultry whisper. _**

_don't turn away  
don't give in to the pain  
don't try to hide  
though they're screaming your name_

**_Kimiko lost her breath, she was so far gone she thought she had begun to hallucinate. Kiko...can speak?_**

**_The man, comely in the light with bistre eyes to match his long, silken hair bound into a low ponytail. Clad in bear fur and wolf pelts with man-made shin guards, arm bands and chest armor, the man resembled a member of a demon tribe. _**

**_While they fussed, she slowly began her descent into everlasting darkness._**

_don't close your eyes  
God knows what lies behind them  
don't turn out the light  
never sleep never die  
_

**_The man snarled with fury equal to that of Kiko's, his teeth just a sharp and erect, " How dare I? Look at you! Curled up next to a mortal woman!!! Even if you had a disposition similar to myself, it-IS-FORBIDDEN!!! You bring dishonor about our tribe!!!" the man had to struggle to keep his voice down. He spoke in the same tone as Kiko._**

**_" You dare insult this woman in my prescence?" Kiko hoisted himself on his hind legs, " She is your superior."_**

_i'm frightened by what i see  
but somehow i know that there's much more to come  
immobilized by my fear  
and soon to be blinded by tears  
i can stop the pain if i will it all away  
_

**_The man spat, " She is nothing compared to you, or myself. she is human!"_**

**_"SHE...is my mother."_**

**_The man cast a sidewards glance at her, " Even i know that is a lie."_**

**_"Is it?" Kiko rounded the man, cantering behind Kimiko's body and nuzzling her cheek, " This woman saved me when my own mother could not. Though I might not have been conceived inside her womb, she had nurtured me and provided for me like any mother would her child...you have the gall to ask me to abandon her in a time when she needs me the most?"_**

**_The man pushed to his feet" Your tribe needs you!"_**

**_kiko growled ravenously,"My so-call tribe has not even bothered with my existance in the passing years! MY TRIBE couldn't give a damn about me, would not lift a paw to find me until it was most convenient and beneficial for them. Well, my MOTHER needs me, and she is my primary concern."_**

**_"She--"_**

**_Kimiko, feeble and shaking violently, lifted herself from the floor, coming into upright sitting position. Kiko stepped over her lap, supporting her as she was too weak, she fell against his mane of silver fur._**

**_"Kiko..."she stroked white fur, his eyes saddened by her disposition, " Please..." she whimpered, desperatly, " Dont leave me alone..."_**

**_Kiko lowered her body to the pile of quilts she had previously been confined to, " Mother..."_**

**_The man noted the worried expression on his conquest's face. Strangely, it aroused feelings of guilt and nostalgia within him. His own mother had died of a severe illness foreign to the clan. A illness which threatened to overtake the entire clan, which is why he, the youthful leader, was sent to return with the heir and missing elder of the northern wolf tribe._**

**_The man rose in a fluid motion, bending again on one knee next to the body his elder had made such a fuss over. Kiko bulked up defensively, then stepped down when the man moved the lantern, hovering it over her frail figure._**

**_He inhaled, holding his breath. Her beauty was mysterious...tragic almost. His impression of humans changed slightly. He'd known humans to be ignorant and proud to the point of fault, but she...seemed to eminate a kindness that drained every ounce of animosity within him._**

**_"Genro..." was what the man addressed Kiko as, " This is your mother? This women?"_**

**_Genro, formally known as Kiko, Nodded, " Yes. She means everything to me."_**

**_The man nodded in understanding. Setting the lantern down once more, he slid his arms beneath her body, hoisting her off of the ground, " Then we leave; she comes with us."_**

**_Kimiko, too worn to speak any longer, did not Object. Though, one name passed her lips, " Bankotsu..."_**

**_The man made for the door. Genro bolted after him, swerving in his path to seperate the man from the door, " Wait! Are you insane? Do you actually believe that her men will let you leave here unscathed? Especially the leader. You'll be dead before you even reach the door."_**

**_"I snuck in here no problem. I'm quick. Humans cannot catch me." the man said, arrogantly._**

**_"Isshin...listen to me. The men she accompanies are no ordianry mortals. I'm certain the leader has demonic lineage even more so than she does. And you cant just abduct her, they'll be on her trail by morning! Think you fool!"_**

**_Isshin stared at the door, then Genro. " Then what do you propose we do? The tribe has fallen with Disease. We need you! If we take her with us, then problem solved."_**

**_" Dont you think I know that!" he scolded, " We have to take everything into consideration! We--"_**

**_"We have medicine that could help your..."he hesitated using this word, " Mother with her ailement."_**

**_"The pain is not one that can be cured by medicine. She's suffered emotionally...a trauma. Something I was unable to protect her from." Genro held his head down in shame._**

**_" We have panacea; a herb that can dull the memory, almost erase it. It'll also help her regain strength. I understand your position and your concern for the men that are tied to her, but what about your mother, herself? Think about her."_**

**_Genro meditated on this._**

**_"While you're worried about others, you are blind to what's really important." Isshin held Kimiko tighter, " We must save her and the tribe."_**

**_"...Alright. I'm with you."_**

**_"Bankotsu..."Kimiko muttered, trying to rise, " I need...tell...love...him..only..my father..."_**

**_Isshin lowered to the ground, resting her across one knee. Reaching inside his pelt, he withdrew a small vial, uncorked it, then forced her to swallow the liquid swirling inside, " This will return her strength momentarily, so she may be able to endure the trek back to the northern caves. Fetch me a parchment and brush, we'll have her write a letter."_**

**_Genro scurried to the side of the room where her bag was left, ramaging through it for a parchment and writing utensil. Isshin supported her back, holding her eract so that she may write the letter. " Hurry Genro" he whispered urgently, " we havent much time..."_**

* * *

**_The Shichinintai weren't prepared to have their leader cry out in anguish all but suddenly the following morning. He jumped over the entire stairway, landing at the bottom only to turn sharply around the staircase and bolt out the front door, leaving his comrades, who shared breakfast together in the dining area, bewildered._**

**_Neither one of them noticed the letter Bankotsu had clutched tightly in his palms. Or the pendent dangling from his grip. _**

**_Bankotsu sprinted down the highroad. He ran and he ran and he ran til his knees buckled and threatened to give way beneath him, and still, he ran. Even now, he could still hear her fluid, cool voice soothing him inside his mind._**

_Dear Beloved,_

_I'm thinking of you, wherever you are. No matter the distance between us. When destiny had denied me access, love took pity upon me, sending you to me. I'll never forget that day. I'll always cherish it. Even now, as I write this letter, I weep painfully because I know that you did nothing to deserve what I put you through...and I'm sorry. All I can do is give you your life back, without me to bring upon disaster. __So I tell you this, continue your life with the Shichinintai, as you were meant to. Tell the boys that I'm sorry and give them my love. _

_**Shadown clouded his vision, he no longer ran in search of her, but fled from the pain. The pain and suffering that threatened to catch up to him. A pain so toxic, so potent, he knew he would not survive it. Tears he shed were lost to the wind. **_

_Tell Renkotsu I'm no longer a child, he's raised me right._

_Tell Jakotsu his baby sister can no longer stand on her own, and that she's sorry for being so weak._

_Tell Suikotsu do not worry, and that I'm sorry for running away again_

_Tell Mukotsu he doesnt need my acceptance, he already has my love_

_Tell Ginkotsu a beast is judged on appearance, but the man is revealed by the gentle nature is his eyes _

_Tell Kyokotsu that if he waits long enough, love will return to him_

**_The distant voices of his friend's calling out to him were drowned out by the throbbing of his heart. Each throb, his soul was stripped away, piece by piece._**

_To you, my beloved._

_There were differents ways to tell someone you love them.__There was never the perfect way for me to tell you, _

_because how I loved you, paled in comparison to all existance of heaven,earth and hell. We overcame it all._

_In the end...It still wasnt meant to be. Although I'm being forced to live without you..._

_I never wanted to._

_**The dirt stripped away beneath his feet; Bankotsu toppled face first into the gravel and dirt. Hearing the gasps and rapid pattering of feet as his comrades rushed to his side, supporting him up by his arms, he tore away, forcing himself on his feet.**_

**_"Bankotsu!" Jakotsu held out his hand, " Let us help you!"_**

**_"STAY AWAY!!!" he screamed, childishly, his voice breaking as he gasped for breath, " Stay...away."_**

**_Jakotsu shrunk away, hurt. His other comrades froze, wanting to help their brother, but restricted, knowing that now he was lost to them in a world far beyond what they could comprehend._**

**_He was in hell._**

_Dont search for me, I beg you. Just know that as long as we share the smae sky, our destinies remain the same. I will return to you someday, if you need anything, know that._

_Know that I do this for the sake of all of us. _

_Know that, I love you when the sky falls on our judgement day, even afterwards, I'll love you._

_Just know that...I'm thinking of you, wherever you are._

_**Her named was signed in perfect flourish. Bankotsu marched on...his limbs aching, but numb compared to the pain that flooded his chest. " No..." he whimpered, in disbelief, " No..." he smiled weakly, " This is a joke right?"**_

**_Jakotsu rose, rushing to Bankotsu's side, " Ban-san, please!!!"_**

**_Bankotsu turned to Jakotsu, misty-eyed and broken in a simplicity; he was smiling, unable to cope with the absence of his heart, " This is a joke, right Jakotsu? She didnt really leave me, did she? She's just playing a cruel prank..." he looked past Jakotsu's shoulders to Renkotsu, " Right Renkotsu? Ha ha...its a joke." his gaze riveted to his other fellow Shichinintai, " Suikotsu? Mukotsu? Ginkotsu? What about you Kyokotsu, are you in this as well?" He said casually, almost pitiful._**

**_It was Suikotsu who stepped forwad this time, " Ban-san, what are you talking about?"_**

**_Bankotsu twisted away, dropping a page of the letter for Jakotsu to read. Bankotsu walked on...slowing down with each step._**

**_Jakotsu's eyes scanned the parchment quickly, then his hand flew over his mouth in shock, " She...?"_**

**_Renkotsu and the others closed in Behind Jakotsu, reading the first page of the letter. Their expressions a mixture of shock, despair, agony and melancholic heartbreak. How could they have not known?_**

**_"BANKOTSU-SAMA!!!" Renkotsu and Suikotsu yelled almost in unison as they sprinted after their leader who had know Dropped to his knees, tears trailing in thick streamlets over his cheeks._**

**_Bankotsu's hands snatched at his hair as he screamed in distraught terror and rage to the point where his lungs seemed that they might burst._**

**_He was in hell. Dark, tormenting, miserable hell. No one could rescue him..._**


	6. 7days of Melancholy: Day 1

_**

* * *

**_

**_Maybe it was that letter; a composure of emotions written on a thin sheet of parchment or maybe it was the dream, the same one he continued to be haunted by time and time again; He and Kimiko at the Crossroads. Where the dawn meets the twilight, she would often fade into the shadows save for the last few nights, she seemed to fade quicker than ever before. _**

**_Last night, he dreamed of the Crossroads again, only this time, Kimiko did not appear to him.period. There was no trace of her existance, not even of the wind that carried strongly her scent of lavender, lilacs and rose petals. A scent, he'd come to miss almost heart-wrenchingly._**

_**Several months had passed since Kimiko's departure. Bankotsu was done torturing himself for his "Failure" as he dubbed it, to save her from his twisted elder brother. During her first absence, he'd walked around in a daze for the duration of those tiresome months. Now, he felt empty inside. Broken. **_

**_In three months, their aniversary as the Shichinintai would arrive. They had been the Shichinintai for 3 years now. For the first time ever, Kimiko would not be attending._**

**_Whether or not Bankotsu could handle that emptyness amplified, he didnt know, but he would. For the sake of his team, and the sake of himself._**

**_-Day 1-_**

**_Bankotsu set his glass half empty of sake' beside him on the porch. Jakotsu had sprawled out on the grass some odd feet away, watching the stars fall away from the night. Stars continued to rain down, shooting pass the blue moon which illuminated the meadow where Jakotsu lay. Violets and orchids swaying sideways in the breeze as fireflies fluttered freely. One landed on Jakotsu's nose. He sneezed and it fluttered away._**

**_Bankotsu smiled, feeling at peace with himself after months of trials and tribulation, after months of trials and tribulation, he decided that he was over Kimiko and has put his past behind him, where it belonged._**

_**Yet he still felt empty inside, like his glass of sake'. **I'll be alright. Men like me...arent supposed to be tied down by a single female. It's for the best; for all of us._

**_"Aniki!" Jaki waved to him from where he sat. Bankotsu grinned and waved back., " What're you thinking about?" Jakotsu asked._**

**_Bankotsu scratched his cheek, shaking his head, " Nothing." he clutched his fingers around his glass and held it to his lips, taking quick sips. by that time, Jakotsu had got to his feet and started towards where his best friend sat._**

**_Jakotsu scoffed," You're never thinking about just 'Nothing'." _**

**_" How so?" Bankotsu inquired._**

**_" You're a very complex individual." said Jakotsu, so matter-of-factly." Although you are slow at times."_**

**_Bankotsu grimaced, " What?" he gave Jakotsu a noogie right on the crown of his head, " I'M slow?! You're the one who thinks 7 minus 2 equals 4, Jaki."_**

**_Jakotsu groaned, " How long are you guys gonna hold that against me?"_**

**_his leader laughed, " As long as it takes. Ha-ha."_**

**_Pouting, Jakotsu crossed his arms over his chest, " No fair!"_**

**_"Aww...I'm sorry bud, but hey, " Bankotsu winked, " Look on the bright side..."_**

**_"What bright side?"_**

**_The tone in Bankotsu's voice changed from playful to sultry, " We're all alone in a cabin while the fella's are out in town for the night."_**

**_Jakotsu blushed, " Wh-wha..?"_**

**_"We have the Cabin entirely to ourselves..." Bankotsu said, with a suggestive smirk._**

**_"You're drunk." Jakotsu said bluntly._**

**_"Am not. I'm just saying..."_**

_**"YOU dont know WHAT is it you're saying!" Jakotsu held his tongue, trying his best not to scold Bankotsu. **I understand that he may be drunk, but still...you dont suggest things you're not even gonna follow through on. Besides...**" You're still traumatized from the incident 9 months ago."**_

**_Bankotsu's face twisted, agitatedly. He grunted, then mummbles what Jakotsu was pretty sure had been insults Ban-san had been too afraid to voice." You know you want to..." Was the only sentence eligible._**

**_Jakotsu wanted to push him off of the porch, " NOT EVEN! Get serious Ban-san, you know you're still in love with Kimiko-dono. You can hide the pain, dress it in drag and call it queer but it's still the same."_**

**_Bankotsu gripped his cup, " I dont love her anymore."_**

**_Jakotsu glared at him, fire emblazoned in his eyes, " Dont you even tell that lie, not now, not to me."_**

**_"I'm not lying!" Bankotsu whipped around so violently, Jakotsu almost faltered backwards. Teary-eyed and red-faced, Bankotsu scolded him._**

**_" I DON LOVE'ER ANYMORE!" He slurred, " She left me without a second thought!!! Did't even tell muh good-by to my...face"_**

**_"Like you would've let her leave!"_**

**_"Would you?" Bankotsu's grip on his cup tightened._**

**_"No, I wouldn't've. But, I also wouldn't have sat back and did nothing."_**

**_"THEREWASNOTHINGICOULDDO!!!" _**

**_Bankotsu's glass shattered, his head bowed to hide the tears burning in his eyes. Despite the stinging pain of glass shards piercing the flesh in his hand, it was nothing compared to the pain that rushed from seemingly oblivion._**

**_"There...was nothing I could do." He forced out through gritted teeth, slower this time. His voice breaking, " Damn, I'm supposed to be a man! But I cry over...this?" he opened his arms, gesturing to nothing, " This...is nothing compared to what we've faced together as a team. I'm supposed to be strong, I'm supposed to be a good leader!"_**

**_"You are!" Jakotsu assured, " You're a damn good one too."_**

**_Bankotsu didnt look up, "Then why? Why'd she leave me?"_**

**_"She didnt leave..." Jakotsu slid his arm around his leader's waist, resting his head on Bankotsu's, " I know that you're hurting--"_**

**_Bankotsu shrugged Jakotsu off, pushing to his knees, then standing to his feet, " Save it. I dont give a damn about her anymore." He glared at the remainder of the glass in his hand. In fury, he tossed it high into the air. It soared through the air and collided with a boulder in the field. Sake oozed out over the stone and shards of glass fell into the grass._**

**_"You see that?" He whirled around, his face contorted in rage, " HUH JAKOTSU?! There's my love for HER." he murmured, " Shattered along with that glass."_**

**_Jakotsu tugged on his yukata, nervously, " Ban-san, you're drunk, you're..."_**

**_"What the fuck ever!" He grumbled, stomping away towards the forest, " I dont need this shit..."_**

**_Jakotsu watched with hurt in his eyes as Bankotsu vanished into a bushel of trees. Jakotsu thought to run after him but a voice in the back of his mind nagged at him, telling him that would be a horrible idea. No need to add insult to Bankotsu's injury._**

**_Sliding open the door, Jakotsu crawled inside and took up his spot in the far corner wall. Curling up, he watched the moon from within the abandoned Temple. Praying to a god he didnt believe in for Bankotsu's ache to heal. For their sake, and his as well._**

**_--Bankotsu--_**

**_The branches from oaks seemed so thick that Bankotsu felt they were trying to block his path. Where he treaded, he no longer knew, nor did he care. All he wanted was peace to himself and salvation from his hell. In his mind, he secretly cursed Jakotsu, saying he knew Jaki wanted It and should'nt have denied him when he did, and that he was a stupid know at all, but in his heart, he didnt mean it. Bankotsu knew Jaki meant for the best, but it didnt take his pain away._**

**_"Fuck." Bankotsu snapped a branch in half, moving forward, " Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck." he beat his fist against a row of trees as he started off downhill, skidding his feet in dirt, pebbles and twigs til he slid down to the bottom. Knee deep in grass, he waded across the field to a clearing; in the midst of neatly trimmed grass was a huge white cherry blossom tree. _**

**_Bankotsu took comfort beneath that tree, curling his knees to his chest and resting his head on his crossed arms. The wind blew kindly; the stars lit the entire clearing, banishing any shadow. Here, Bankotsu could meditate on everything that has happened up until this point, this moment._**

**_Visions of his mother swirled about his head. An elegant and listless women born of ill-destiny and forced into death by her vile husband. A women with rich eyes, like lustrous darkness, whose gaze cradled you until you were no longer angry and filled with sorrow; Waves of sheer auburn fell over her soft shoulders, accented her creamy white skin and melancholic smile. _**

**_She perished in his third year, yet he remembers her face as clear as daylight. _**

**_Bankotsu remember a chamber, lavish and adorned with red bunting and tapestries. He remembers the side glances and questioning expressions of nobles, countrymen and guildmasters as he walked upon marbled tiles grasping his mother's hand and staring at his feet, nestling close beside her. She walked in front of him, protectively; Ryosuke sat fixed in his throne, his eyes burned with the fire of betrayl, he seemed to contemplate whether or not to disposed of them both._**

**_Megumi, the name bestowed to his mother, stood upright and true, as if to challenge Ryosuke. Bankotsu nestled within the fold of her kimono as she caressed his thick, whispy locks of jet hair. Ryosuke sat upright, rising to Megumi's challenge._**

**_"You have signed the doctrine, have you not?" She raised her brow, animosity swirling in her confident eyes._**

**_"You lied to me..." he held in his hand a scroll, tied with a red ribbon and stamped with his seal, " Why should I adhere to this, " he held the scroll dangling from the ribbon wrapped about his fingertip, " all need be is for me to throw it into the fire and send the two of you tumbling in after it. You and your demon spawn!"_**

**_There was a wave of collected gasps and excited murmurings. Bankotsu felt tears burn into his eyes but his mother knelt down beside him, taking him into her arms. Demon spawn was what he was?_**

**_"You know as well as I do that that is a scandalous tale thought up by your pompous, over-zealous monks." She remarked, " and you also know that if I were to die, you'd lose all chance at regaining crucial territory in the northern lands. A blacksmith's daughter I may be but a worthless woman I am not."_**

**_It was Haruko, Bankotsu's nanny and caretaker, who stepped up next. Haruko was rather young, a lovely attendant, not much older than Megumi herself. Haruko raised her hand, awaiting to be heard._**

**_"Speak." said Ryosuke._**

**_"Sir...Let me tend to the young one. Give him to me if you will." _**

**_A twinge of bitterness flashed over his homely face, " What makes you think that I want the child of a demon running about my castle? It is a outrage and a insult to me that he even breathes!" his voice shook the entire chamber_**

**_" And yet you wait til the child is three before you 'attempt' to eradicate him! He is only a baby!" Megumi stamped her foot, balling up her fist, " You're acting like a barbarian!"_**

**_"HOW DARE YOU!" Ryosuke bellowed. His expression was fierce; If he could toss the two of them out a window, he would without a moments hesitation, " Do not forget your palce female!"_**

**_Haruko spoke once more, calmly, " Sir, the child is as human as you or I--"_**

**_"Do not try to make a fool out of me! Just look at him! He-"_**

**_Bankotsu cringed in his mother's arms._**

**_"-He has eyes as dark as the night, with skin the tone of bronze metal. Not to mention that violet blight branded across his forehead! This boy is able to lift three times his own weight and exhibits a power unlike one I have ever seen--THAT CHILD IS HELL'S OFFSPRING!!! "_**

**_" THAT IS ENOUGH!!!" Megumi shreiked, exhorting such and venomous fury that it touched every being in that room, causing them to cringe in terror, " You either follow the consensus or I shall announce your betrayl to the Eastern Alliance! The choice is yours, choose now!"_**

**_The gathering ended on a sad note. Bankotsu was spared, however, that memory was scared iinside his soul. Demon spawn...hell's offspring...No, he was human. He knew that. At least...he thought he did. Since rescuing Kimiko from certain death in that forest...he discovered more than his mother was ever able to tell him. Memories of a past life reborn with him. Ryuura...Bankotsu knew Ryuura was his older brother...though he'd never met him...but he held memories of Ryuura's wrath but none of his alleged Father. _**

**_Kimiko's father, Sephiroth, knew more about Bankotsu's father than even Bankotsu did. _**

_Bakajikara_

**_That was Bankotsu's name. Megumi had called him by that name several times, in private, during his childhood. She would kiss his brow and said it meant "Bankotsu" in an ancient language, then she would sing to him a lullaby, Even when tried by Sorrow..._**

_There is no light that does not pierce the darkness _

_It is sad but No matter how much one is filled with affection _

_There is suffering __Though we do not have wings _

_Even a small smile _

_If you believe that is a miracle_

_You can walk on _

_Even when tried by sorrow_

_If you are here _

_When the day it cannot be bound Comes That is everlasting __long for strength _

_Like that of a butterfly crossing the sea _

_If battle alone is strength _

_That is a pity _

_D__espite thinking it is all right _

_Even if all is gone As long as the ache inside you heals _

_Kindness just meets _

_Even when tried by sorrow _

_Beside you Someday the promised day _

_With arms spread out visits _

_Even when tried by sorrow If you are here _

_When the day it cannot be bound Comes _

_That is everlasting_

**_Then Banktosu would noticed the glow in her eyes diminishing and he could see her heart slowly break all over again. She missed Bankotsu's father so intensly, it shook Bankotsu uneasily. She soon lost her hunger and wasted away. When she lost her will to live, Bankotsu was unsure, yet as hard as she tried to live on for him, her body gave way to desperation and coveting til it physically made her ill and she passed away, weeks before his fourth birthday._**

* * *

**_Rocking against the trunk of the tree, his heart heaved; his throat made dry by liquor only added to his frustration. Oblivious to the man crouched within clusters of leaves in the treetop towering above him. Eyes that resembled the stars in twilight observed him, curious, intently._**

**_Staring up into the night, he pressed his cheek on his arm, fighting off another insistent memory. One which was reluctant to stay unseen. _**

**_A distant sound, the strumming of a biwa, acoustic and nostalgic. Blossoms bloomed and rained in flutters of white, dancing around him. He mistook the cherry blossoms for snow, and thought of Kimiko. _**

_Im sitting here..._

_Kimiko stole away from her chambers, dashing across the courtyard dressed in nothing save an ice blue evening gown and her priestess robe. Although she was being forced against her will to reside in the House of Ryosuke, she refused to be treated like a child, and worse, ordered around like a servent girl without any home training._

_She held her skirts about her knees, tip-toeing over cobblestones leading into the rose garden. She stood at the Archway, eyeing the tall hedges that would no dout conceal her inside the garden._

_Once inside, she ran with abandon across the vineyards, resting on the rim on a fountain, whose magnificent statue depicted the sun goddess Amterasu illuminating the heavens over which she reigned. Stunning and mystical._

_And free...so free. Unlike herself._

**_Bankotsu sat up, gnawing at his lip; arms still folded over his knees._**

_Thinking bout  
How im gon-na do without  
You around in my life and how am I_

**_Stray blossoms touched his skin, softly, resembling her touch. His flesh burned where it landed._**

_It was he who had spotted her; She had been secretive enough, but he waited for her, hoping to see her. She had ran from her chambers so suddenly, he felt inclined to follow. Kimiko was distraught, if anything, that Ryosuke had placed an unspoken claim upon her. It was known (more like common sense) that he intended to marry her but she would rather die than even allow him to touch her. _

_"If I do marry, I want it to be for love" she had whispered to him once, in secret. _

_He refused to allow her to his disgusting step-father, and would be damned if Ryosuke got her._

_When Bankotsu knelt down some feet away from her, she conceded at a mere smile._

_It was his eyes that lured her; Mischevious, vaunting seduction in their depth. Beckoning, so inviting. She shivered in thrilling passion, hearing " I need you..." before she said it. It shocked her even more to hear it from her own mouth._

_Kimiko leapt down from the fountain; gliding almost, into his embrace._

**_His body gave a invouluntary shiver; warmth spread in goose-pimples over his arms._**

_Im gon' get by  
I ain't got no days  
Just lonely nights _

_She held his face in her hands, her fingers creeping to twine around tendrils of black hair, and kissed him sweetly. She almost lost her breath when he returned her kiss with unexpected skill and deep-rooted passion. She giggled, he smiled, tasting and savoring her lips tenderly. _

_You want the truth  
Well girl im not alright_

_She felt a weave of soft sheets beneath her fingertips; Bankotsu nibbled at her lip, biting back her moaning, his golden skin sliding against hers. Kimiko traced the intricate star on his brow, feeling his hand part her priestess robe._

_They did not make love; When Ryuosuke's servent walked in on them--accidently-- her startled screams brought the attention of every servent, consort and noble within running distance. Ryosuke was furious, banishing Bankotsu from the consort chambers and ultimately from Kimiko herself..._

_Heavens knows that never stopped Bankotsu from loving her._

**_Every day he longed for her, yet she never appeared; At night she haunted his thoughts, yet vanished from his dreams; Even now...he saw her. A shimmering silhouette in the midst of falling snow. _**

_Feel out of place and out of time  
I think im gonna lose my mind_

**_Bankotsu didnt even like to think about her, yet here she was, clad only in Bankotsu's shirt; the fabric crinkled at her waist, gaping open about the curves of her breast and billowing at her thighs; his sleeves hung loose, covering her wrists and palms. _**

_So tell me how you feel (im lonely)  
Are you for real (so lonely)  
Do you still think of me (i think of you)  
Baby still (are you lonely)  
Do you dream of me at night (like i dream of you all the time)  
So let me tell you how it feels (its like everyday i die)  
Wish i was dreaming but its real (when i open up my eyes)  
Let me tell you how it feels (and don't see your pretty face)  
I think that i will never love again  
_

**_To him, this was the perfect image. She was so pure...untouched. She wasnt Kimiko, the priestess, a women of the shichinintai, or what the world tried to mold her into. She was Bankotsu's Kimiko, and nothing else._**

**_She smiled tenderly with compassionate eyes; Liquid, vast in innocence._**

**_He smiled back,"I always miss you."_**

_I miss your face  
I miss your kiss  
I even miss the arguments  
That we would have from time to time  
I miss you standing by my side  
I'm dying here its clear to see_

**_Tiptoeing barefoot over mounds of dirt and grass, she crouched down at his knees, laying her head on his crossed arms. When he caressed her cheek, she kissed the palm of his hand._**

_There ain't no you, God knows there ain't no me  
Don't wanna live, I wanna die  
If I cant have you in my life_

**_"Never again..." he tugged at her loose ringlets, " Betray me never again Kimi-dono."_**

**_Kimi's eyes lit up, " Never again Koiishi. I promise you."_**

_So tell me how you feel (im lonely)  
Are you for real (so lonely)  
Do you still think of me (i think of you)  
Baby still (are you lonely)  
Do you dream of me at night (like i dream of you all the time, so lonely)  
Oh let me tell you how it feels (its like everyday i die)  
Wish i was dreaming but its real (when i open up my eyes)  
Let me tell you how it feels (and don't see your pretty face)  
I think that I will never love again_

**_The man within the tree sighed as Bankotsu leaned down to kiss thin air. The rumors were true. If so, Kimiko was in even more danger away from Bankotsu than she was together with him._**

* * *

**_Cloud shook his head in pity, sliding down the back of the tree trunk. Now seemed even more inappropriate time to bring Bankotsu over into his style of life. Time was not allowing him it's luxury. The Advent Children will come to this world anyday now. Cloud could still hear his nephew's words inside his head._**

_We have to protect the balance, thought Grandfather is toying and manipulating Time to his will. It's affects on the future are catastrophic and if it doesnt cease, my Father and my Mother will be doomed to a cryptic hell, dragging the entire world with it._

**_"Fuck" Cloud cursed under his breath. Pulling his scarf over his face, hiding everything except his twilight blue eyes, he rounded the tree._**

**_but Bankotsu was already standing; poised for defense, but able to switch to the offensive. You could tell by his stance. Feet slightly hip-width apart, one arm raised to his face and one lowered over his chest._**

**_"Who the fuck are you?" Bankotsu snarled, " I'm not gonna ask you twice."_**

**_Cloud stared at him. Bankotsu had some balls calling him out like that. No wonder his sister was so rebellious. _**

**_Cloud circled him, Bankotsu held his composure. Eyes fierce, focused. Cloud brushed back his sleeve so that the hilt of his Ultima sword._**

**_Bankotsu scoffed, " Is that supposed to intimidate me?"_**

**_Cloud stopped walking, glaring him down vehemently," If you even remotely believe in that mind of yours that you can take me on, you are sadly mistaken."_**

**_"Prove it."_**

**_" I would but..." he raked his fingers through his blonde hair, " I dont think my baby sister would appreciate it if I mangled up her boy toy."_**

**_Bankotsu faltered, " Exscuse me?"_**

**_Cloud gaped at him. All in all, the man was still drunk. " I'd rather explain it when you're sober."_**

**_Bankotsu sobered up quickly, " Wait...you're tamahome?"_**

**_Cloud scowled, " No...I meant her REAL brother. We share the same father, Sephiroth."_**

**_Bankotsu, alert now, heightened his gaurd, " Sephiroth..."_**

**_"Ah..." cloud said in awe, " So you do know?"_**

**_Cloud blinked; in two strides Bankotsu was on him, his fist snatching Cloud's collar and attempting to jerk him up._**

**_"You bastard!" he slurred, " You're trying to tear us apart! You DID THIS! YOU--"_**

**_Cloud pushed him away, " Listen to me carefully. My Allegiance lies elsewhere. I have no desire to side with Sephiroth. I want him dead as bad as you, but with my...other siblings running to and fro as they please, I can't really go through with my plans."_**

**_"What plans?" Bankotsu raised an brow, " What...other siblings? Damn, how many brothers and sisters does Kimiko have?!"_**

**_"If you come with me, I'll explain it to you. Everything."_**

**_Suspicion lit Bankotsu's eyes; he crossed his arms over his chest," Why should I trust you."_**

**_Cloud studied him for a moment, then turned on his heel, skulking into the woods, " Dont then..." without turning around, his voice softened, he knew he hand Bankotsu hooked, " You have no reason to trust me..."_**

**_"And here's the catch..." Bankotsu grunted._**

**_"I have a feelin you know What I'm going to offer you. You'd be a fool not to take it."_**

**_Bankotsu fell silent._**

**_Cloud shrugged, " Whatever. I'm not saying you cant live without her...I just didnt think you wanted to."_**

**_In a swish of his cape, Cloud had vanished._**

**_Bankotsu mulled this over for all of 2 seconds before he bolted off after Cloud. Destiny had dubbed him ill-lived, yet Fate had a diffrent plan in store._**

* * *

**_Disclaimer: _**

**_The lullaby is Even when Tried by Sorrow from Rurouni Kenshin_**

**_The song in Bankotsu's head is " The loneliness" By Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds_**


	7. Day 2: Jakotsu's day out

**7 Days of Melancholy**

**--Day 2-- " Jakotsu's day out"**

**"Bankotsu didnt come home last night..." **

**Jakotsu allowed himself to become swept up in the hustle and bustling of the Sakai Marketplace. So many vendors, so many customers and so many prizes to choose from. Jakotsu had saved his earnings of all their jobs--save for those he contributed for rent of places to stay and food-- he had never spent a dime. Now, three months from anniversary, it seemed a perfect time to do so.**

**Despite the scandalized stares of village men and women (as well as their ill-behaved brats) Jakotsu kept to himself, lolling about the crowded marketplace with his arms in his sleeve and his eyes glued to the sky as if expecting the almighty Amaterasu come tumbling down with an fathomable answer to a question that has been on his mind since their entire journey began. **What's going on with my life?

**Not much could be said. Only killing and making money as a result to that. It was what he did best and all he ever wanted...or so, he thought. Lately, he questioned his existence. He knew he wasnt born for the religious protocal of this world. Life was a bitch...then you die and go to hell. That, consequently, was his (as well as Bankotsu's) attitude towards the divine. Jaki was never particularly religious, but after a series of unfortunate events that seemed to follow them whereever they went, maybe some force some where was trying to tell him something.**

**"ARGH!!!" he pulled at his hair, and rubbed his temples trying to quell his oncoming headache." All this thinking is making my head hurt!"**

**"Art...beautiful, equisite!"**

**Jakotsu stared up to the Vendor across the lane. **

**The Vendor regaled a dwindling crowd, gesturing to his ornate and guady stall of red bunting and collections of foreign art." Rare paintings and pottery imported from the finest countries in the west! you wont ever find art this magnificent, for such a low price! I'm practically giving it away."**

**Jakotsu gaped at the stall, entranced. But not by the Vendor, or his ridiculous art. Carelessly thrown to the side of the stall, painted in ocean blue and violet hues, was a pictured of a women, scantily clad in a gamblers robe; Long, lustrous hair that fell to her bared breasts; lips painted a startling crimson and a powdered white face that highlighted the dark of her eyes. **

**Jakotsu held himself, shuttering suddenly. Jakotsu recognized the painting, and the emotions tied to it. Lust, Betrayl, Heartache, Malice, Passion...and Death.**

**The painting is--was a creation by Jakotsu's old Lord. Karasuki Ryoma. A handsome man in his late twenties with sensual features and gorgeous brown eyes. Flawed, but Jakotsu's ideal of perfection. Ryoma rescued Jakotsu from the opium house in which he was forced into servitude, a mere plaything for the riff-raff and vagrants who took their disgusting, pedophilistic fantasies out on a young busboy.**

**Ryoma had given Jakotsu a place to stay within his estate, and a passion for creativity. Ryoma had given Jakotsu a purpose. Back then, he was only eight years old.**

Jakotsu twitched uncomfortably, feeling the stinging of wet ink seeping into his skin. It burned, but deliciously, a searing of pain rapt about his spine. Wearing his shirt loose, he practiced his calligraphy and mulled over and over again in his mind what he would say to his Lord when he returned.

Ryoma caught him off guard. Standing idly at the door, Jakotsu's back to him, watching curiously. Ryoma watched Jakotsu for some time before his prescence was noticed. Oddly fascinated by the markings on Jakotsu's back. The yukata hung low, Ryoma spotted the intricate curving of the point of the markings, but unable to ascertain the actual mark, he merely waited until Jakotsu became aware of more than one prescence in the room.

Ryoma, impatient, grew annoyed at waiting. " Jakotsu?" his tone was commanding, but gentle.

Startled, Jakotsu dropped his brush, spilling black ink spinning in rivulets over the parchment. He jumped up, before the ink could mess his clothing.

Ryoma called him name once more, in a softer voice. Jakotsu twisted around, face to face with his Lord. Ryoma blinked at Jakotsu's haphazard appearance.Assymetrical curls down to his shoulders, a robe that gaped open at the chest, baring his shoulders and back, but covered his black shorts that hugged his svelte physique.

A hint of lust glinted in his grey eyes. His movements were so graceful, Jakotsu scarely noticed his hand raise, and shut the door.

"My lord," Jakotsu said softly, bowing.

"Yes?" Ryoma's tone was polite, yet there was viciousness in his voice.

" My lord, today...I went out and made my mark." Jakotsu seemed so nervous.

"Your mark?" he took a step closer, " What ever do you mean?" he feigned ignorance like a professional.

Kneeling down, he lifted Jakotsu's bowed head level with his, " Show me." there was amusment in his sultry voice.

"As you wish." Jakotsu said formally.

Jakotsu loosed his shirt completely, letting it slip to his elbows. Drawing his wild hair over his shoulder, he arched over. Ryoma gasped softly, almost laughing.

"My my..." he chuckled, tracing over the bulk of Jakotsu's mark. It was clammy, still wet, " Did it hurt?"

"No." Jakotsu turned, laying both arms around Ryoma's neck, raising his eyes to meet his masters'," It doesnt hurt at all. I did it for you."

Ryoma bent down and captured Jakotsu's lips into a kiss."I'll have to reward you then..." he whispered, divulging Jakotsu of the rest of his clothing.

**That night burned into Jakotsu's mind, and set fire to his skin. Ryoma was the sweetest lover he'd ever known. All others paled in comparison, before and after. That only made Ryoma's betrayl that much more vile.**

**Jakotsu had returned from the marketplace with fresh art supplies, excited for the new "artwork" Ryoma was going to unveil. He was happily kicking off his sandals when he noticed a extra pair of shoes--feminine sandals.**

**Jakotsu slipped on his house-shoes and headed off down the corridor. It was dark, save for the sliver of lamplight at the room at the end of the hall. Jakotsu heard the giggling of a female and the scent of sex and sake. He stood at an angle by the door, hearing his master whisper sweet enchantments to her about her being his one, his only. Jakotsu drew in his breath so sharply, it hissed between his teeth. He glimpsed the paint brush in Ryoma's hand while he cupped the women's breast, kissing her hungrily.**

**Jakotsu did not wait around to hear or see anything more. Grief and sorrow rose within him and blinded his eyes in tears. As if touched by his sorrow, the clouds poured rain. The one man who he loved, the one who he gave himself to willingly, the one who seemed to heal his scars now betrayed him for a woman. **

**Sorrow turned into envy, envy turned into wrath, wrath to obsession, obsession became hate. It was mid-climax that Jakotsu burst into the room, holding Ryoma's greatest work of art. A sword with many blades that bounds like a snake. It remained untitled. **

**Ryoma's eyes rolled up into his skull as he released, the woman cried out in pleasure, before she felt back onto the floor, only to see Jakotsu looming over them like death. **

**She was terrified. The blood drained from her already pale skin, her brown eyes wide in horror. Ryoma shook, slowly twisting his head. Jakotsu swam in his gaze. Eyes both understanding what was about to happen, and afraid of it at the same time.**

**That was what Jakotsu remembered of his master and his whore. The sword sliced through them like shreds, splattering blood on the walls, tatami mat and rice paper.The screams were electric. He stood there, relishing what he had done.Knowing he would need to leave before he was found here. The screams would attract several bystanders within minutes.**

**Yet Jakotsu could not tear himself away. It made him feel somewhat better, but now he knew he could kill, and do it again if he needed to. Sitting down on the floor, he poured himself a cup of tea.**

* * *

**It was then that Jakotsu realized his hatred of women stemed from that moment. It was then that his hatred for Kimiko was born because she reminded Jakotsu of that women. Like that women, she took Bankotsu away. Only...Jakotsu now knew that it was senseless to weep for what never would be. And that Kimiko would never hurt him like that women in the painting.**

**Jakotsu touched his sword. Jakotsu-tou. It belonged to Ryoma and jakotsu used it with pride. He would always love Ryoma, but he'd moved on the minute Ryoma moved on to the afterlife. The minute he met Bankotsu.**

The rain fell in sorrow. Jakotsu curled up against the side of a resturaunt, the mud soaking his yukata more than the rain. Where did he go from here? Staring at his blood-stained hands, he wondered. Not even the rain could wash away his sins. He was dirty...unclean. A abomination. Isolation set in and he knew what it truly felt like to be alone and have no one.

The pelting of the rain ceased. The shadow of an parasol enveloped him.

Jakotsu met the gaze of a kid, not too much younger than himself. Dressed in elaborate robes, Bearing the emblem of a daimyo. Deep blue eyes and whisps of dark hair bound into a braid. Dark skin and a intricate insignia on his forehead. The boy was beautiful.

"Hey...do you need a place to stay?" the boy grinned, extending his hand, " I can help you if you want me to."

Jakotsu said nothing, just stared in awe. No body has ever extended their arm to aid him and yet, this boy did it without hesitation.

Jakotsu took his hand, and smiled. For the first time in his entire life, he felt a ease.

**"Aniki..." **

**" Exotic gifts!" cried one merchant.**

**Jakotsu perked up, walking across the lane to a plain lookin stall adorned with fans, flutes, knick knacks and lanterns and box combs.**

**Jakotsu saw what he wanted immediantly. " I want that and that." He pointed.**

**"You sure then?" Jakotsu nodded and the man grinned, " Odd fellow...well then, that'll be 10 ryo."**

**Jakotsu handed him the money straight out of his sleeve. The man, befuddled, wrapped Jakotsu's gifts and sent Jakotsu on his way.**

**Jakotsu walked along the path leading home, holding a scarlet sash in one hand and a lotus comb in the other. He thought of Bankotsu and Kimiko. How she once had a comb like this, but in Jakotsu's hatred for her, he broke it. And how Bankotsu's sash was worn and torn and this would be better for him.**

**Despite not buying himself anything, he was happy with his choice. Because he was with friends that gave him something no other person could: A place to belong and a true family.**

**Jakotsu hummed a merry tune the rest of the journey home.**


End file.
